This is an analysis of the poem The Man He Killed that begins with:

Had he and I but met
By some old ancient inn,... full text

Elements of the verse: questions and answers

The information we provided is prepared by means of a special computer program. Use the criteria sheet to understand greatest poems or improve your poetry analysis essay.

  • Rhyme scheme: abaX Xcdc efef cdcdXebeb
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 111111 111101 11111101 1100100 111100 110101 11111111 111001 111101 011111 11110111 110111 111101 111111 11011101 110101 11110010 110101 110111010 110101
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 119
  • Average number of words per stanza: 23
  • Amount of lines: 20
  • Average number of symbols per line: 30 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

If you write a school or university poetry essay, you should Include in your explanation of the poem:

  • summary of The Man He Killed;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Thomas Hardy